Overwatch Summer Games 2017 Details Revealed

Jeff Kaplan Dishes on the 2017 edition of Summer Games.

I haven’t played Overwatch in months, but it may have its hooks in me again with the announcement of the triumphant return of Summer Games.

Summer Games premiered last year as the first themed event that show cased new skin, emotes, and of course Lucioball! The rocket league-inspired event was a fresh spin on the game that I kept coming back to more than the standard modes and I grieved for its loss when the event ended.

But grieve no more! Blizzard has announced the games will begin on August 8th and shared a developer update to spread the word.

New 2017 Summer Games skins were announced by Jeff Kaplan for Junkrat, Mercy, Widowmaker, and McCree. But, I anticipate there may be more than just those 4 considering there were 8 characters that received skins last year. Kaplan also stated that duplicates will be reduced for event loot boxes on top of the normal loot box duplicate rate being reduced. The 2017 edition of the event will differ not just with new content but with the return of the skins from the 2016 games and the ability to purchase them with your hard-earned credits. Not only that, but 2016 skins for the event will be sold at reduced rates compared to other legendary skins! Cost for these skins can be found in the breakdown below.

Skin Prices

2017 Summer Games Skins:
-Legendary for 3,000
-Epic for 750
-Rare for 225
-Common for 75

2016 Summer Games Skins:
-Legendary for 1,000
-Epic for 250
-Rare for 75
Common for 25

Kaplan also gives more details on Lucioball changes towards the end of the update: A new map with Sydney, Austrailia; Gameplay updates to prevent annoying strategies (i.e. Standing in the opposing goal using his ult to vacuum the ball in and “booping” other players is gone); and a competitive mode called “Copa de Lucioball.”

While there isn’t anything terribly wrong with Overwatch in my book, I didn’t get to play too much since a lot of other games demanded my attention over the past year but now I have a greatly rejuvenated interest in diving back in. The phenomenon that this game has become is undeniable and I can’t wait for Overwatch to charm me all over again the way it did in 2016.

The Overwatch Summer Games event will begin August 8th, 2017 (tomorrow) on Xbox, Playstation, and PC, and is expected to last until August 29th.

Whether it's a longsword or a Plasma Rifle, Colin has seen much but is still fascinated by the games industry everyday. He loves diving into lore rabbit holes and talking to folks who love games as much as he does